Nancy Spero: The Work

Christopher LyonPrestel

Nancy Spero was one of the most prominent female artists of the past 50 years. This monograph explores Spero’s entire body of work, giving due weight to the (anti) narratives of language and voice, drawing new lines of connection between theoretical and visual aspects of her work.

Sumptuously illustrated, this book showcases the multicultural cast of characters and inventory of images that Spero developed throughout her career. Rich with both poetic and political resonance, what is fascinating about this collection is the innovative representational technique she developed.

Shifting the premise of what goes for pictures on a wall, Spero’s work is a powerful and insightful representation of the cultural landscape in which it was created. From the Couples and War Series of the 1960s, works based on the writing of Antonin Artaud, word and image scrolls of the 1970s to a gatefold presentation of the artist’s signature scrolls, it is evident that the essence of Spero’s work was the moment in which it was created. Rich, insightful and strikingly relevant, this collection is truly compelling.